Senior Program Director - Academic Foundations

About Urban Ventures

Urban Ventures is a faith-based, nonprofit organization with the mission to educate children, strengthen their families, and build a healthy community. We partner with families in some of the most under-resourced neighborhoods of south Minneapolis with one overarching goal-to send every youth to college or some form of post-secondary education. Urban Ventures is committed to providing a workplace which promotes diversity and inclusion.

Job Summary

The Senior Director at Urban Ventures is responsible for overseeing and managing the organization's programs. In addition to program management, the Senior Director provides leadership, supervision and accountability for assigned directors, ensuring high-quality execution and alignment with organizational priorities. 

Working closely with the Executive Leadership Team and fellow Senior Directors, this role helps shape and implement program strategy that emphasizes our commitment to participant-centered service, a culture of excellence and care among staff, and the achievement of measurable outcomes that drive forward Urban Ventures’ mission, vision, and Big Goal.

As a key organizational leader, the Senior Director plays a critical role in influencing high-level programmatic decisions, fostering cross-departmental collaboration, and championing innovation and continuous improvement across all areas of responsibility.

Specific Responsibilities

As a Senior Director, you will:

• Provide direct leadership, supervision, and support to assigned program leaders and staff, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and collaboration.
• Lead hiring, onboarding, training, and professional development efforts for program staff, ensuring clear role expectations and alignment with Urban Ventures’ values.
• Conduct regular performance reviews and provide ongoing coaching and feedback to support continuous growth and development.
• Ensure program leads are equipped to effectively lead their teams by providing clear direction, performance support, and development opportunities.
• Facilitate weekly team meetings to promote accountability, communication, and cross-program collaboration.
• Identify challenges and lead timely, informed problem-solving and decision-making that supports organizational goals.
• Establish and monitor measurable program goals and key performance indicators (KPIs), ensuring consistent progress and impact across all programs.
• Oversee accurate and timely data entry in Salesforce and other systems to support evaluation and reporting needs.
• Collaborate with program leads on annual budgeting processes; monitor ongoing adherence to financial guidelines and procedures.
• Partner with Advancement staff and actively participate in fundraising efforts to support program sustainability and growth.
• Uphold and model Urban Ventures’ mission, faith-based values, and policies, including safety standards and organizational procedures.
• Perform additional duties as assigned in support of Urban Ventures.

Technology Center Leadership

• Develop and execute the vision, strategy, and annual outcomes for the Technology Center in alignment with Urban Ventures' mission.
• Design, oversee, and continuously improve hands-on learning experiences in areas such as robotics, coding, engineering, artificial intelligence, digital design, emerging technologies, and maker education.
• Create an engaging learning environment that sparks curiosity, creativity, innovation, collaboration, and critical thinking.
• Recruit, train, coach, and support instructors, volunteers, and industry professionals who deliver high-quality technology programming.
• Work with technology company partnerships to enhance opportunities for participants.
• Identify grant opportunities, sponsorships, and community partnerships that strengthen and expand Innovation Center programming.
• Establish measurable outcomes and monitor program effectiveness through participant engagement, skill development, program completion, and postsecondary or career readiness metrics.
• Ensure all Innovation Center programming is safe, well-organized, fiscally responsible, and operates with excellence.
• Collaborate with other Urban Ventures program leaders to integrate technology and innovation throughout youth programming whenever appropriate. Specially at Hub Club and Summer Ventures.

Supervisory Responsibilities:

• Academic Foundations Program Directors

Required Skills/Abilities: 

• Proven ability to lead, supervise, and develop high-performing teams 
• Experience fostering a collaborative, accountable work culture 
• Strong strategic planning and program integration abilities
• Ability to align programmatic efforts with organizational goals and mission 
• Capacity to drive measurable outcomes through goal setting and KPI tracking 
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills 
• Strong decision making and problem-solving abilities
• Proactive and solution-oriented approach to challenges 
• Familiarity with CRM systems (Salesforce) for data input and reporting 
• Experience with budgeting and financial stewardship
• Demonstrated experience teaching or leading STEM, computer science, robotics, coding, engineering, or technology education programs
• Strong understanding of current and emerging technologies and the ability to translate complex concepts into engaging learning experiences for youth
• Ability to work within financial guidelines and ensure fiscal accountability
• Experience designing project-based, hands-on educational programming.
• Deep commitment to the mission, vision, and values of Urban Ventures 
• Knowledge of or willingness to learn organizational policies and safety protocols 
• Proficient in basic computer applications (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Access, Outlook) 

Education and Experience:

• Extensive experience working with urban youth
• Bachelor’s Degree in a human service-related field